Hide and Seek
by TreeStar
Summary: Young Inuyasha had the perfect plan to distract his father and run free for the day. Unfortunatly he forgot about his brother. Now Sess is stuck watching the pup for a while and everyone discovers something in eachother.


I don't own Inuyasha, just this mini story.

Okay, I have seen all of Inuyasha and I know that Inuyasha never knew his father (seeing as how he died right after his son's birth) but this is just a little what-if story.

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Hide and Seek

Touga-sama, the Inu no Taisho, crouched down low behind a bush. He was being hunted by a ferocious creature of great strength. He couldn't afford to get caught, so he had to sneak along quietly, in hopes that the dangerous hunter would not spot him.

No such luck. The miniature terror ran toward him to deliver the final blow…

"I find you!" a three year old Inuyasha laughed, grabbing onto his Chichi-hue's hakama and hugging his leg in victory.

"Again?! Oh, rats! And I was trying to hide so hard that time!" his Father said in mock defeat.

Inuyasha clapped his hands and started to run off on his tiny baby legs. "Now Chichi-hue counts!" he shouted in his little voice as he turned a corner.

His father watched after him and chuckled. The garden grounds were like a maze. But the pup never had a chance to get too far away on his tiny legs. He hadn't gained the speed that he would no doubt rely heavily on later in life.

The pup had spent the whole morning playing in the garden with him and now smelled like the flowers around him.

Touga rarely got to spend time with his youngest son. The puppy was usually with his mother, and he was usually trying to keep the leopard youkai in line. So time was limited for his family, whom he loved.

Today was a rarity. The lady Izayoi, better regarded by him as his wife, had decided to go for a swim with her maidservants for a little while, and he had been forbidden to join her on the excuse that someone had to stay with the pup. The day had been very enjoyable so far.

Touga turned around and began to count out loud.

Inside the palace, a miniature red and white thing could be seen running clumsily down one of the long corridors. His clothes were covered in mud, grass stains, dirt, bits of weeds, and other things you find of a three year old after he's been playing outside. In short, he was a mess… and he was tracking it all over the floor. The pup was totally oblivious to all of this, however, as most babies are. Now he was feeling hot. He'd been playing outside all day and was still going!

He never really liked having to wear all these formal garments anyway. And since he'd never gotten in trouble for it before, he felt no shame in fixing his discomfort. Slowing to a walk he clumsily took off all of his cloths, which formed a trail behind him as he continued down the hall, passing a few staff members on his way. As far as he was concerned, it killed two birds with one stone. It made perfect sense… why didn't everyone do it?

His mother was out for the afternoon and his father, who was supposed to be with him, was 'distracted' in the garden.

Inuyasha's feet pattered on the stone floor and quietly echoed off the walls of the hall way.

Opportunities like this didn't happen everyday, and he may never get one of them again after this, so he was going to use it well.

Yep.

He was heading straight for the candy barrel in the cellar.

Sesshoumaru was almost finished with his lessons. He had to practice handwriting in the castle's lower study every day. He didn't mind, really. It gave him something to do while his Father man a muck in the garden like a fool with his irritating excuse for a baby brother.

How pathetic. 'Why spend time with that toddler when I, Sesshoumaru am available?' he thought to himself as he moved the brush over the paper.

He just couldn't see what was so special about that pup.

The older boy completed his final strokes and put away his brush.

Maybe he would go practice kenjutsu for a while. With an elegant turn born of his unnaturally glorious heritage, he stepped out into the corridor only to see his baby brother of the same honorable blood go streaking past him, showing of his own "glorious heritage" to the entire world. He felt the sudden urge to roll his eyes, but wouldn't give the pup the satisfaction of reaction. As it was he just… stared… as Inuyasha stumbled over his little hanyou feet on his way down the deserted corridor.

Sesshoumaru sighed and walked over to the pup, his normal strides catching Inuyasha's baby run.

He picked up his brother in one swoop and held him, his large sleeves covering the pup so that his little head was poking out at the top of Sesshoumaru's arms and his bare feet could be seen dangling out beneath him.

"What are you doing?" Sesshoumaru asked blandly.

"Ni-chan!" Inuyasha cried happily, "Inuyasha go to tha cella to get tha candies! Ni-chan come, too?" he asked hopefully.

Sesshoumaru stared at the pup in his arms. He just didn't get it. Sesshoumaru couldn't remember one time when he'd done anything with Inuyasha voluntarily, yet the pup still proceeded to get excited every time his big brother came close to him. Feh.

He turned without a word and started down another hall that would lead to a staircase. Inuyasha smelled like dirt, therefore his clothes were probably filthy, so he couldn't put the baby back in those…

"Where we going?" Inuyasha asked, swinging his feet.

"To my chambers." His brother answered.

"Why?" He turned his eyes to the youkai's face.

"Because you cannot run about naked." His brother answered again.

"Inuyasha gets to wear Ni-chan's clothes?" He sounded so excited, that his brother didn't know how to answer. So he didn't. There were too many questions, and it was irritating. He, himself was curious about something though…

"Where is Chichi-hue?"

"Out in tha garden looking for Inuyasha." the baby answered in a cheerful, innocent voice that almost made one believe that such a statement should always be said casually.

Sesshoumaru actually smirked. Much as he detested the imp in his arms, once in a while, Inuyasha played his cards right. Well, almost. Waiting until his mother left and then using his baby charm to get his father distracted so that he could sneak off undetected was a perfect plan, almost too good for a three year old. What's more, he's been able to pull it off; until he left his clothes and footprints behind him, failing to cover his tracks.

To have it all planned out, then mess up half way through.

Half way to perfection.

Hanyou.

"Okay, buddy, I give up!" Touga called out in the garden. The pup had hidden well this time, and his Father was rather tired of looking for him. He wanted to go in and get a drink.

Touga waited, then called again, knowing very well that anyone nearby could hear him.

No answer. Great.

"Play time's over, buddy!" …Nothing. Naturally the pup had wanted to play in the garden where there were two million scents so that neither could cheat with their noses. Not that it mattered. His father could have smelled him anyway …until the baby decided to leap into that pile of leaves, and then roll in that flower bed, angering the gardeners…

His mate would be less than thrilled to hear that he had managed to lose their only son…

Touga redoubled his efforts in what he didn't realize was the beginning of a very long and futile search.

Near the top of the tower overseeing the garden, Sesshoumaru was wrapping an excited baby up in one of his many royal purple bathrobes. Because the pup only went to approximately Sesshoumaru's knees, this robe was HUGE on him. If he did decide to walk in it, over half of the robe would drag behind him like a train. Ni-chan had taken the belt out of the loopholes and moved it up to tie it at his waist, where it belonged on him; But the arms also dragged onto the floor, and trying to roll them up that far would make them so puffy that he wouldn't be able to lower his arms anymore, so his Ni-chan didn't bother with that.

He was so excited that Ni-chan had to tell him twice to stop fidgeting so he wouldn't lose control and start jumping up and down. He was in Ni-chan's room; a place that was forbidden to him, wearing one of Ni-chan's robes that he was forbidden to touch! He couldn't believe this was really happening to him! Ni-chan had never spent so much time with him on purpose before!

At that moment, Inuyasha felt he could touch the sky.

Sesshoumaru had one more thing he had to do downstairs before he was ready to lock himself in his room, away from all the stupid, insignificant palace servants. He plunked the puppy on the bed, told him not to move, and left the room, closing the chamber doors behind him.

"Have you seen my son?" Touga had asked every gardener he had come across, and had yet to receive a positive answer. This time was no different. His youngest son was nowhere to be found. At least, not in the garden…

'He _didn't_.' His father thought, heading back to the palace. 'Here I've been looking outside for him, while he probably got bored and went to play in his room!' He went in and started to walk to Inuyasha's room, when he noticed a set tiny paw prints heading down the corridor. 'Aha!' He thought triumphantly, and began to follow them.

He was staring at the ground, following the prints when suddenly, clothes took the place of the prints for a little ways, then the prints continued. Inu Taicho stared at them for a moment before realization hit him like a bag of sand. 'Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me!' He thought as he scrambled to pick up all the clothes that were currently harboring a distinct lack of his youngest son and proceed down the corridor at a much quicker pace.

Inuyasha couldn't believe it! He was alone in Ni-chan's room, and it was **_OKAY_**!!

He sat on the bed and looked around the room in fascination at all the wondrous things that were kept here. The desk and parchment, beautifully carven wardrobes at least 15 times bigger than him, diamond chandeliers, elaborate chests, a fireplace…. Then the baby's eyes fell upon something that really caught his attention.

Weapons.

Ni-chan was a sort of collector of many different kinds, and they were all in beautiful racks and mantels by his fireplace in an amazing, yet deadly display. The one that Inuyasha was eyeing, however, was a true treasure.

His brother's sword. Tenseiga.

He had been told never to touch such things, especially such things belonging to his brother; but now it was Right There!

Usually kept on the mantle in a place of honor among his other blades, Ni-chan must have been cleaning it or looking at it like it was the strangest thing on Earth again. He did that sometimes…

In the end, temptation was just to much. His curiosity got the better of him and, as most three year olds do every day, he gave in to it.

And so it came to pass that the second in line for the throne of the western lands walked across his brothers chambers (stumbling over his robes the whole way), pulled up his long, long sleeves just far enough to get his small, clawed hand to poke out, reached towards the Taiyoukai's katana, and touched the handle.

Sesshoumaru was well aware that he was received more than a few second glances, but he proceeded back up the corridor toward the stairs that led to the tower as if walking around with an 'I-have-no-emotions' face and a contrasting fist full of lollipops was an everyday occurrence.

Inuyasha felt up and down along the saya. It was pretty, with leather wrapped around it to match the handle. The pup wanted to see the blade itself, he'd heard that it was shiny enough to see yourself in it, but he didn't dare draw it.

In truth, Inuyasha was afraid of things that could hurt people. He didn't like it when people got hurt. He knew what it felt like to get beat up and picked on. He knew because it happened to him. a lot.

So he contented himself with the saya and the handle. The whole thing together was bigger than he was!

So enthralled was he that he didn't notice the door open behind him.

Sesshoumaru, however, did. Seeing as how he was the one who opened it, we should certainly hope so.

He walked into the room, closed the door behind him, then turned, looked at the bed and noticed a distinct lack of Inuyasha. Then he turned and saw the pup touching Tenseiga.

In one smooth leap he crossed the room. He snatched the blade up fast enough to startle the baby, who fell backwards with a plop onto the cold stone floor. His arms had come out of the sleeves and now his puppy head was all that could be seen popping out of the top of the swirling purple mass.

Ni-chan was towering over him in an intimidating way. His ears drooped as his face fell under Sesshoumaru's scolding stare. Now his Ni-chan hated him.

"I told you to stay on the bed." he said in a cold manner.

"I sorry…" the pup whispered, unable to meet his Ni-chan's gaze. …Ni-chan hated him...

"You know better than to touch my weapons." The same, unfeeling voice sounded.

"I sorry…" the baby sniffled again, close to tears. …Ni-chan hated him…

"What did you think you were doing?" Again in his emotionless tone.

"…I sorry." Inuyasha whimpered, the first tear falling. 'Ni-chan hate Inuyasha'. He let out a little sob.

Sesshoumaru continued to stand there and stare the little hanyou down for a moment, then he stopped and sighed. This was getting them nowhere. Besides, it wasn't like Inuyasha had actually been trying to hurt anything. He was just being a pup, really. It wasn't like Tenseiga could hurt him, anyway. Oh, what the hell. 'Just this once.' he thought. He held the sword in one hand and picked up the baby in the other arm.

Inuyasha's tears kept falling as his Ni-chan carried him and sat down on side of the bed. He curled up into the robe, trying to hide. He had blown it. His Ni-chan never spent any time with him and now that he did, he had ruined it. Now his brother would throw him out of his chamber and never look at him again.

"Inuyasha." Sesshoumaru said monotonously.

Inuyasha looked up to see Sesshoumaru holding a lollipop in front of him and looking in another direction at nothing in particular.

The puppy looked at his Ni-chan, then the lollipop. Then at Ni-chan. Then at the lollipop again. "Ni-chan?" he asked uncertainly. In reply, Sesshoumaru opened it and handed it to the pup. He was rewarded with Inuyasha gasping and laughing excitedly and bouncing up and down in his lap. He came out of the robe a little and gave his Ni-chan a big hug before he tried to fit the whole lollipop in his mouth at once.

Sesshoumaru neither reciprocated the hug, or stopped it from happening. "Hold still, don't choke." was the only response that the happy baby got as his Ni-chan turned him in his lap to face forward.

Once Sesshoumaru was sure that Inuyasha was huddled back in the robe and holding still enough not to fall out of his lap, he lifted his sword across his knees.

Elsewhere, a castle kitchen worker was walking down the hall, still thinking about the experience that had happened to her only moments before.

The King himself, who had never noticed her before, had rushed past her, then doubled back to her again to ask her if she had seen his son recently.

The startled maid had taken in his disheveled state and had started to tell him where she had last seen Sesshoumaru-sama and what he had been doing when the King suddenly shook his head and rushed past her in an impatient hurry.

This had been a strange day for the maid. The prince streaking about the castle, Sesshoumaru-sama and lollipops, and now the King running around holding a pile of dirty laundry.

What a weird family.

'I don't believe this.' Touga thought repeatedly as he continued down the corridors. What would his mate say? His hopes of keeping this a secret had long since burned out. After all, gossip travels fast and now everyone outside knew that the puppy was missing. He was also pretty damn sure that, circumstances being what they were, everyone inside probably knew as well. It is not common to see a crown prince running around stark naked.

He stopped at the bottom of a flight of stairs to try to find his son by scent when he overheard voices in a nearby chamber. It was a pair of maids, dusting and gossiping. Almost afraid to hear what the topic of conversation was, he listened keenly for a moment.

…Sesshoumaru. Once again, everyone was on about Sesshoumaru, he thought as he pieced together the conversation, tucking his son's red haori away in his own white one. Well, at least that meant that maybe no one knew about the disappearance of Inuyasha. I mean, if the only thing being talking about was Sesshoumaru …in the cellar… with lolli-WHAT?!

Inuyasha wiggled his ears excitedly as Sesshoumaru unsheathed his prized blade half way to show to him. The pup was mesmerized as soon as the sword glinted.

"Weapons are not toys." Sesshoumaru stated emotionlessly. "They are dangerous to both the creature on the receiving end of one, and the creature who wields it if he does not know what he is doing. Do you understand?"

"Hai, Ni-chan." the pup replied, enthralled.

The pup's reaction gave Sesshoumaru a glint of pride in spite of himself, but he felt he had to put it away, lest the pup ask him to swing it or something equally ridiculous. Inuyasha yawned as he watched his brother sheathe the blade and prop it against the bed.

"Ni-chan?"

"What?" Sesshoumaru answered, not looking at him.

"Will Inuyasha have a sword like Ni-chan's when he get big?"

Sesshoumaru actually raised an eye brow at him. "What would someone like you do with a sword if you had one?"

The puppy smiled up at him with sleepy eyes. "If Inuyasha had sword, he be like Ni-chan!"

This threw Sesshoumaru. "Be like me…" he repeated quietly.

"Ya." the tired baby said as he cuddled up in the robe.

Sesshoumaru took the lollipop stick and put it's remains on the bedside table as the pup nodded off in his arms. The Taiyoukai looked down at the hanyou pup. He wanted a blade like Tenseiga? Feh. The baby had no clue what type of treasure was to be passed onto him. The little hanyou in his arms was to inherit the Tetsusaiga, the great demon blade that his father had had made from one of his fangs. Sesshoumaru had never seen it and didn't know where it was, but he had overheard his father and his human mate talking of it being sealed in the future when his father died. Sesshoumaru walked over to the window holding the slumbering baby and looked out over the land. All of this land was to be passed on to both he and Inuyasha as well upon Chichi-hue's death. He just didn't understand it. Why a hanyou? Not that it even mattered. Like his great father could ever be killed. Feh.

At about this moment, he heard the door open as his 'great father' poked his head around the door and entered the room silently. Sesshoumaru turned around, revealing a slumbering Inuyasha. His father sighed and walked over to them. His eldest passed his youngest to him and the Father took the baby in his arms.

"I find you!" he whispered to his pup, imitating the baby speech he heard so often. Sesshoumaru watched his father leave with his brother, then turned to look out over the garden that said brother played in every day.

He had yet to understand why the greatest blade, Tetsusaiga, was going to that hanyou. It didn't matter how hard Inuyasha tried; a hanyou is a hanyou. He would never be a perfect demon. Never be as strong as his brother.

Still… mastering the demon blade would bring him a few steps closer in strength. Maybe one day, Sesshoumaru would awe his brother with a sword again, this time by showing Inuyasha the true power of the Tetsusaiga for the first time. He couldn't very well have a halfling who shared his blood running around with his father's mighty fang and not a clue as to what to do with it. It would be appalling!

'Someone will have to show him what to do with it, and, I suppose that in the end only someone as great a I, Sesshoumaru, will be able to make him understand it.' He turned around and began to walk across his chambers, heading toward the door and the great hall beyond it. 'After all, I'm his big brother.'


End file.
